Five Fundamentals For Improved Workforce Development Case Management

As part of a social services organization, you may feel like you’re always struggling to find the balance between investing resources in systems versus investing resources in services. Your organization’s time and money are finite and as growing demand is coupled with limited funding, these resources will continue to diminish.

In workforce development organizations, balancing the need to create an effective workforce development case management system with the need to focus on programs can be particularly challenging. Most organizations cannot afford dedicated case managers, so the case management system needs to be simple enough for program staff to understand in order for them to utilize it effectively.

Read on to learn our five fundamental concepts that will help you ensure that your workforce development case management system is working for you.

The Five Fundamentals

Focus on evidence/outputs – Yes, we put outcomes first, and so should you. Workforce development case management should never feel like useless paper pushing. The intention of having a good case management system should be to effectively document the progress of individuals within your workforce program in order to draw conclusions about outcomes and gather evidence for improving program effectiveness. The case management process is a vital step in program assessment and reporting, not a stand-alone activity designed to create extra work for already over-burdened human services employees. Bonus: The ability to properly evaluate outcomes is becoming increasing critical in attracting funders.

Provide sufficient training - Everyone who is using the workforce development case management system should understand not only how it works but also what its ultimate purpose is. Educating employees about the full purpose and potential of your case management systems will help increase buy-in to the program mission and ensure that the tools will be used properly.

Integrate tracking, analysis and programs – Workforce development case management has long been thought of as separate from the actual goals of a workforce program. However, many human services organizations are now re-evaluating how they view case management. Rather than just recording information after-the-fact, case management solutions can now be integrated into day-to-day organizational efforts and can help reinforce new procedures or ways of thinking.

Collaborate and build partnerships – With limited funding, collaboration among service providers is becoming critical for success. The right case management system can enable more effective collaborations with other organizations due to improved reporting and the ability to share outcomes information directly.

Use the right tools - There are a number of different options for workforce development organizations, but many of the available tools are generic. When looking for a workforce development case management system, you want exactly that. Settling for anything less means spending more time trying to customize the solution to your needs, and who has time for that?

Conclusion

In the end, your workforce development case management system should make your life easier, not more complicated. A well-integrated case management solution that is a good fit for your programs and goals can change the entire morale of your organization.

Furthermore, solutions that are specifically designed for workforce organizations, like Social Solutions ETO Software, can not only make your life easier, but mean the difference between failure and success in these competitive times. Make sure your organization comes out ahead by focusing on these five fundamentals. You won’t regret it.

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